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With the Divisional Round upon us it is time to get yourself ready to keep building on your successful DFS season. As I was doing during the regular season, I am going to be providing my top cash game picks for you. Because it is such a small slate with only four different games, I will be providing 2 to 3 guys at each position I feel safe with to use in cash games this weekend. As usual I will also supply one of my cash game lineups for you guys to look at. So let's get right into those picks now.
Quarterbacks:
Carson Palmer ($8,900) - The only QB that I am considering for cash games this weekend is Palmer. The last time that he faced the Packers he put up a solid 17.4 points for owners in a blowout. I highly doubt that there will be a blowout again this time, which means Palmer will have the entire game to put up stats. The Packers just allowed Kirk Cousins to put up over 325 yards and get 2 total TD's. Palmer should see a similar statline, except that he won't run for a TD and will just throw for both.
Running Backs:
David Johnson ($8,500) - Out of the two high-priced RB's for this weekend, they cover two different types of plays. Johnson is the safe option you need to use in cash games, while Marshawn Lynch is the GPP play for the weekend. This comes about with Lynch not having played in two months now, and in that time the offense has changed how it is being run. Johnson meanwhile has been on a tear since becoming the starter. While his last game against the Seahawks wasn't great, the game got so out of hand that they sat him down to rest him for the playoffs. With the best matchup of the weekend, he has to be the high-end play in cash games.
Spencer Ware ($6,100) - While it would be best if Jeremy Maclin is ruled out for this game, he doesn't need to be ruled out to be a viable option here. In each of the last two games, Ware has had 16 carries, averaging just over 70 yards and a TD in each. The Chiefs defense will keep this game close, so worrying about a blowout dictating the game shouldn't way into your decision here. The Chiefs know that Ware is there big strong back who they can rely on to wear out the defense, and also score a goaline TD.
Wide Receivers:
Julian Edelman ($7,800) - Hasn't played in two months, but appears to be near full health again. It is easy to tell that Tom Brady has missed throwing the ball to his safety net. Before his injury Edelman was averaging almost 7 receptions, 80 yards and 0.8 TD's a game. This is the kind of line that would be needed for him to provide value this week. That shouldn't be difficult for him, as I think he exceeds the receptions and yardage values easily.
Doug Baldwin ($7,400) - While I am a little hesitant in playing Baldwin this weekend, his last 7 games make it hard to bet against him. Over that span he is averaging 21.2 FanDuel points a game. The big problem here is that he is facing the Panthers and Josh Norman. The last time that he faced the seahawks he came away with just 3 receptions for 23 yards. If you are playing him it is for the track record here, and you hope that he is not shutdown by Norman.
Michael Floyd ($6,500) - Excluding the week 17 blowout game against Seattle, Floyd has averaged 14.5 FanDuel points a game. While that number isn't near what Baldwin has been doing, in five of those games he scored a TD, and in two of the other games he posted over 100 yards. This makes him a consistent option we can trust, and the fact that he is facing a depleted Packers defense makes it all the better.
Markus Wheaton ($6,000) - With Antonio Brown ruled out for this weekend someone will have to pick up the slack at the receiver position. My guess is that Wheaton will see the biggest bump here. Instead of seeing 5 targets like he did last week, I easily see that number rising up to at least 10. With 10 targets 6-7 receptions can be expected. With that he will put up at least 80 yards and have a decent chance at scoring a TD. I feel confident in that type of production that he is a nice cheap option to use in cash games.
Tight Ends:
Greg Olsen ($6,500) - Listen Greg Olsen is the safest option at this position, and that includes Rob Gronkowski at this point. When it's playoff time, you can bet that Cam Newton will look for his best receiver early and often. Olsen is the one reliable guy in this offense who he won't have to wonder if the ball will actually be caught or ultimately dropped in the end.
Kicker:
Brandon McManus ($4,700) - He was the closest to minimum price that I trusted for this weekend. This game could be one that is built around field goals, as we don't know if Peyton Manning was more of a fluke in week 17 or not. Either way I think McManus is going to be kicking some field goals in this one.
Defense:
Arizona Cardinals ($4,900) - The last time they played the Packers the Cardinals defense put up 33 FanDuel points. While that number certainly won't happen again, let's look at it a different way. The Cardinals defense has been getting a lot of pressure on QB's, and the Packers offensive line has been constantly letting people through to Aaron Rodgers. That will happen again in this game, which will then lead to mistakes and turnovers by the Packers.
My Cash Lineup:
QB: Carson Palmer
RB: David Johnson
RB: Spencer Ware:
WR: Julian Edelman
WR: Michael Floyd
WR: Markus Wheaton
TE: Greg Olsen
Kicker: Brandon McManus
Defense: Arizona Cardinals